Tony Gwynn Jerseys
 
  
       

    Tony Gwynn Jerseys



    Tony Gwynn Career

    A graduate of San Diego State University, Gwynn was also a standout point guard on the Aztecs' basketball team, setting a school record for assists. The same day the Padres drafted him, Tony Gwynn was also selected by the-then San Diego Clippers in the 10th round of the National Basketball Association draft.

    Gwynn constantly studied his swing, always looking for some way, no matter how small, to improve his hitting. His bats were relatively small Louisville Slugger (model #B276C) measuring 33 inches and weighing just 30 1/2-ounces, far smaller than those of his contemporary, five-time American League batting champion Wade Boggs, who used Louisville Slugger's #B439 model. Gwynn began using the smaller bats while playing his first season of professional ball for San Diego's A-level Walla Walla Padres minor league club in 1981 because he was having trouble adapting to wood bats and wanted something of a similar weight to the aluminum bats he used in college.

    Even though Gwynn was batting .360 at the time, he felt that the larger bats were hampering him because he had to choke up so far — and he was breaking a lot of bats. The major league clubs were on strike at the time, and the Padres sent their minor league clubs their bats. Gwynn picked out the smallest ones he could find, which belonged to a first baseman named Mike Ivie. Despite still having to choke up to where he felt was abnormally high, Gwynn liked the feel of the handles. Later, he bought several 33 inch, 30 1/2-ounce Little League bats at a Eugene, Oregon sporting goods store. Using his new lumber, Gwynn hit home runs in each of the next five games.

    Gwynn joined the Padres in July, 1982 in center field, appearing in 54 games and batting .289. 1982 would be the only season of Gwynn's career in which he would hit below .300.

    Gwynn's breakthrough season was 1984, when he hit .351 and won the first batting title of his illustrious career. That season, the Padres won the first National League pennant in team history, defeating the Chicago Cubs in the National League Championship Series before losing the World Series to the Detroit Tigers. Gwynn batted .368 in the NLCS, but was less effective against Detroit.

    Gwynn was also a good baserunner prior to gaining weight in his later years. In 1987, he tied an NL record with five stolen bases in a game, and he had 319 steals in his career. He became proficient with a glove for most of his career, winning five Gold Glove Awards from 1986 to 1991 despite playing much of his career with knee problems. Over time, his left knee became the more troublesome, and Gwynn has had several operations on both to halt the deterioration of the joints. Today, he uses a combination of hot and cold wraps, topical ointments, and medication called Celadrin to give him relief.

    Primarily a right fielder as of 1984, in 1989 Gwynn split time between right field and center fields, while winning his third Gold Glove.

    In 1994 Gwynn batted .394, the highest batting average in the National League since Bill Terry hit .401 in 1930 and the highest in the majors since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941. Had the season not been shortened by a strike, Gwynn would have had the chance to become the first batter to eclipse the magical .400 mark in more than 50 years; of course, several players have hit .400 for four months, only to fade. In the end, Gwynn fell three hits short of the .400 mark in the shortened season.

    In 1997, Gwynn reached career highs with 17 home runs and 119 runs batted in. The next season, Gwynn batted .321 and helped the Padres win their second pennant, as they defeated the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves in the playoffs. However, the Padres lost the World Series to the New York Yankees in a four-game sweep, despite Gwynn's home run in the opening game, and his overall batting average of .500 in the Series.